Hong Kong's art scene in a day

High culture, hot hotels, happening restaurants - here's how to do Hong Kong's art scene in a day

13 Mar 2015

Friday 13 March 2015

1. Wake up in...

Your very zen, very smooth, very strokeable room in the Upper House, Hong Kong's coolest address. Trip upstairs for shiitake and spinach omelettes and slap-your-face views over Hong Kong Island.

2. Put on...

Sensible shoes. It's time to hit the galleries - the best are in Central. First stop, 12 Pedder Street, which is filled with excellent names, including Hanart TZ, Gagosian, Ben Brown, Pearl Lam, Simon Lee and Lehmann Maupin. Chinese ink is very hot right now (Wenda Gu's drawings are a good investment). You'll find more at nearby Edouard Malingue Gallery on Queen's Road, Grotto on Wyndham Street or White Cube on Connaught Street.

3. Eat at

The Grill + Bar at the Mandarin Oriental. Hong Kong's grande dame has all sorts of fancy places to eat (and nice rooms and a whopping great spa to get lost in), but top pick around Art Basel time in March is its 'art menu', which includes yummy creations such as 'Paint' (you get to decorate your plate with things like spinach, red pepper and, um, steak).

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4. Truffle out...

More Chinese contemporary art at the Asia Society Hong Kong (fabulous building, even better exhibitions) or the brand-new PMQ buildings - the old Police Married Quarters, transformed into groovy boutiques, studios and pop-ups. All very Shoreditch. Then visit the new Liang Yi Museum on Hollywood Road,an eccentric billionaire's private collection of priceless Chinese antiques.

5. Be a tourist...

On the Star Ferry. Bob across the bay, snap pics of the crazy skyline and go 'ooooh' and 'aaaah' at the gorgeous old junks floating past.

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6. Take a tipple...

At the W Hotel. You're in Kowloon now, and the Woobar has a thumping scene and views over the sprouting West Kowloon Cultural District development. The project is under the reins of Michael Lynch, who chivvied up the Southbank Centre; the highlight will be the M+ modern art museum, due to open in 2018.

7. Back to..

Central, for dinner at Duddell's, a new gallery/swanky restaurant hybrid, designed by Ilse Crawford. Scoff braised scallop with minced shrimp while talking loudly about the hipster artist studios springing up in old factories in the New Territories. You'll look like a real insider. Promise.